There are a lot of things that I wish I could do or not do when it comes to raising my kids.  Many times I’m just struggling to keep things together.  But I do realize that it’s important to do a little bit of self reflection.

1.  I’m guilty of not spending enough time with my kids
Spending time with kids doesn’t have to be for hours and hours of dedicated playtime, although it’s great if you can do that.  It could be just a few minutes of conversation after dinner or before bath time.  As an example, sometimes my son would act silly while he’s getting ready for shower.  I tend to rush him into getting in the shower because I have other things to take care of.  I do realize it would be nice if I can laugh about it and respond to his silliness.  I have to say, it’s getting harder and harder for me to spend more time with my oldest son ever since his brother was born.

2.  Guilty of bribing
Yes, sometimes I bribe my child.  “Honey, if you go to Chinese School I will give you candy” or “If you be a good boy today I’ll let you watch TV”.  I’m unconsciously bribe my child all the time because clearly it’s the quickest way to handle the situation.  However, bribing could damage a child in the long run.

3.  Guilty of cussing
I’m the queen of cussing.  I cuss all the time, especially while driving.  There are many times when my son would repeat my cuss and I would be like… OMG I hope he won’t say that in school and I would get in trouble.

4.  Guilty from helping too much
I tend to help my son even though I know he can actually do a lot of things himself just because it’ll be faster if I do that.  In the morning I always end up putting on his shoes even though he can do it himself just because usually I’m in a hurry and need to do everything I can to take my son to school and be at work on time.

5.  Guilty of throwing empty threats
“If you do that one more time I’m going to put you in time out!!” or “You throw your toys one more time I’m going to throw it away”. Empty threats is a dangerous thing because then your child will not take you seriously. I’m 100% guilty of it and now my son views me as the softy one and my hubby is the stern one.

6.  Guilty of not providing enough vegetable in his diet
Asian don’t typically eat vegetable unless it’s mixed with the main dish, cook in a heavy sauce or in a soup of coconut milk…. none of these are healthy!  We eat raw vegetable by dipping it in a chili sauce, which my son can’t eat since it’s too spicy for him.  Now he refuse to eat vegetable.

Well, what can I say?  I’m far from perfect and sometimes… I just gotta do what I gotta do.  I’m hoping I can find a way to be a better parent for my kids.

Tags: common parenting mistakes

One Response to “Common Parenting Mistakes: Things I’m Guilty of As a Mom”

Leave a Reply